Mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia (MASAM)
The 2nd and last phase aims to strengthen civil society and public sector agencies’ capacities in linking (a) policy planning and implementation, including in the health sector, and (b) budget planning and execution (public investments). Social Accountability mechanisms will enable the Government of Mongolia to improve the delivery of key services and impacts of public investment projects on people’s livelihood. The WB and SDC are leading partners in mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia.
| Country/region | Topic | Period | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Mongolia |
Conflict & fragility Governance
Security system management and reform
Decentralisation Anti-corruption organisations Media & freedom of information |
01.08.2020
- 31.12.2023 |
CHF 2’000’000
|
- Foreign private sector South/East
- World Bank - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
-
Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation Decentralisation and support to subnational government (incl. accountability)
Security system management and reform
Anti-corruption organisations and institutions
Media and free flow of information
Cross-cutting topics Crisis prevention
The project also supports partner organisation improvements
Aid Type Basketpooled multi-donor fund
Technical assistance inclusive experts
Project number 7F09187
| Background | Public participation progressed thanks to the government's efforts to institutionalize existing mechanisms for transparency and effective involvement of citizens in policy decision making. The Mongolian civil society is becoming a more active player at various stages of the policy-making cycle. From being the fastest-growing economy in the world in 2011 (GDP growth at 17.3%), Mongolia faced one of the most severe economic crisis in 2016 with growth rate slid to 1%, triggered in part by declining of copper and coal prices and lack of fiscal discipline and off‐budget spending. However, thanks to the economic recovery programme and better fiscal discipline, the economy recovered strongly in 2018, when GDP growth reached 7.2%. However, Mongolia continues to experience inadequate and inequitable access to quality health services, especially among disadvantaged groups, and high out-of-pocket expenses. COVID-related negative impacts on the entire economy, e.g. on budget revenues and livelihoods are yet to be revealed, but are already severe. Poverty rate was at 28.4% in 2018, with another 14.9% living “near” poverty, making them highly vulnerable to negative shocks. The anti-COVID government measures since January 2020 seem to have brought them back under the poverty line, hence close to 50% of total population being poor. |
| Objectives | Social Accountability is mainstreamed across all 21 Mongolia’s provinces and the city of Ulaanbaatar, contributing to better service delivery and investments through effective use of public funds in key sectors (e.g. health). |
| Target groups |
- Mongolian citizens of 21 provinces (aimags) and Ulaanbaatar capital city districts. - National and local civil society and tech savvy organizations. - The Government of Mongolia including Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and relevant line ministries, Ministry of Education and others) Cabinet Secretariat and local governments (21 provinces and districts of Ulaanbaatar City). - Public and private service providers. |
| Medium-term outcomes |
1. Information is accessed and used by citizens to monitor the use of public funds, by operationalizing the collaborative and sustainable web-based public platforms. 2. Institutional and citizens’ capacity in monitoring the health service delivery and public investment is strengthened. 3. Coordination and institutional capacity at policy level (staff of Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health, local level authorities, public sector agencies) is improved. 4. Adaptive Knowledge & Learning is promoted. |
| Results |
Expected results: 1. Collaborative partnerships among CSOs and the Government to develop social accountability platforms in a participatory way are fostered (Subcomponent 1.1.). 2. The social accountability platforms are tested, adapted and scaled-up tools by design (subcomponent 1.2.). 3. Budget transparency/participation in the health sector are strengthened (subcomponent 2.1.). 4. Participation in Public Investment Management (PIM) is strengthened (subcomponent 2.2). 5. Integrated approach for improved coordination and institutional capacity a the policy level is deployed (component 3). 6. Tools and processes for knowledge development, sharing of learning and capitalisation of experiences are developed for use of CSOs (component 3). Results from previous phases: - Access to education services improved by 12% and health services by 6% in 10 Mongolian provinces and 3 districts of the capital city (out of 21 provinces and 9 districts). - National Academy of Governance introduced SA certification programs. - Implementation of the procedure on public policy evaluation streamlined with support from MASAM. - Number of Civil Society Organisations with proven SA project implementation experience increased by 30.4%. - In total, 18 cooperation agreements signed and implemented between and/or with citizens to promote disclosure and participation. - Open Government Partnership’s Action Plan 2019-2021 of Mongolia is approved |
| Directorate/federal office responsible |
SDC |
| Credit area |
Development cooperation |
| Project partners |
Contract partner International Financial Institution (IFI) Private sector |
| Coordination with other projects and actors |
- WB projects: Sustainable Livelihood Project (co-funded by SDC) / Strengthening Fiscal and Financial Stability Project, E-Health project. - ADB project: Improving Health Care Financing for Universal Health Coverage. - EU initiative: Enhancing CSOs' Contribution to Governance and Development Processes. |
| Budget | Current phase Swiss budget CHF 2’000’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF 1’950’686 Total project since first phase Budget inclusive project partner CHF 4’700’000 |
| Project phases |
Phase 2 01.08.2020 - 31.12.2023 (Completed) Phase 1 01.05.2015 - 30.06.2020 (Completed) |
